Tuyere block



Sept; 30 1924.

, l F. E. FLEMING TUYRE BLOCK Filed Jgn. 1o. 1921 i Q |1. .nnluu mw moatIl t Q IIIHUnHHU Patented Sept. 30, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. FLEMING, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNDERFEED STOKERCOMPANY 0F AMERICA, SE'Y.

0F DETRUIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JER- TUYRE BLOCK.

Application led January 10, 1921, Serial No. 436,168.

T 0 all whom e' may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. FLEMING, a citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county ot Wayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful. Improvements in Tuy-re Blocks, of whichthe following is specifica-tion.

The retort-bordering tuyre blocks of underfeed stokers are commonly madein the form of hollow-open bottomed castings, having top end front andrear walls in an integral structure, and when any portion of the wallthat is exposed to fierce action of the heat burns out or becomesseriously damaged the entire tuyre block has to be replaced. The frontwall of the block (which faces toward the retort) has air passageopenings or tuyres formed therein, and whilel it is ordinarily madethicker than the other walls it is weakened by the perforations, issubject to intense heat, and so is especially subject to rapiddeterioration both from burning and from clogging of its tuyres.

My invention provides a novel tuyre block with a sep-arable Vfront wall,readily replaceable if damaged but tirmly held in place under normalconditions, such block having, additionally, advantages in manufacturedue to making easy the eoring of the block-body and the casting of theaperturld front wall.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a front elevation of the tuyre block inplace, with a fragment of the retort liange in section; Fig. 2 is asection on line 2--2 of Fig. 1: Fig. 3 is a rear view of the frontplate; and Fig. 4 is a plan View, with parts broken away, of a series ofblocks.

10 indicates in general a fragment of a retort, from the side wall 11 ofwhich there Springs ahorizontal flange 12 having made therein a seriesof block receptive openings 13. These orifices preferably have slopingside walls 111 giving each aperture a downward taper, and they arearranged close to the inner face of the retort-separated therefrom byonly a. narrow horizontal lip 15,-and close together lengthwise of theretort, leaving narrow horizontal bar surfaces 16 between them. Eachtuyre block 18 of a length equal to distance between centers of theopenings 13, may be of any ordinary superficial design but is novellymade up of two portions, the hollow body 19 and the front-wall plate 20.

'lhe body comprises a base portion 21 downwardly tapered to tit in theopening 13 and a head portion 22 integrally con neet-ed with the base bya seat-forming shoulder 23 that will rest on the side and rear marginsof an opening 13. The open bottomed base 21 is shown as spanned fromfront to rear by an integral yoke 25 through which, just below theretort-flange 12 a re taining rod 26 may be run to hold the aligningblocks in position. The front of the body 19 is left open, exceptpreferably for a narrow front bar 27 forming part oi' the lower marginof the base, this bar affording an anchorgae for one end of the yoke 25and preferably having its top flat near its front edge but provided witha rib 23 along its rear edge. The top wall 29 of the head has a lug 3()cast thereon, adjacent the` front opening and centrally ot the length ofthe block.

The front plate 2O has tuyres 31 made therethrough in suitablearrangement, pret4 erably in the grid-form shown that leaves a centralvertical bar 32 unperforated. Such plate rests flat against the slopingfront edges oi the top and side walls of the head. has a horizontalbottom edge-portion 33 to seat smoothly on and cover the lip 15 of theretort and has a bottom tin or rib shaped to tit the front edge ofopening 13 and cr.'- tend into groove between the front wall. of theopening 13 and the rib 28 on the crossbar 27 of the base. On its rearface the front plate carries an upwardly reaching curved hook or finger35 projecting from grid-bar 32 to engage with the central lug 30 of thebodys top-wall.

In assembling the parts the front plata is hooked to the lug 30, withthe bottom margin of the plate resting on the dat part of bar 2i' of thebody base (the rib 31.1., thus placed, constituting an elfeetivecontinuation of the base contour), and then the assembled block isdropped into its orifice 13 and secured by the tie-rod 26. Manifestlythe parts so anchored cannot separate since the front plate is retainedagainst outward displacement by the engagement of hook 35 and lug 30 atthe top and by the engageA ment of its lin 34 in the opening 13 at thebottom. If the front plate burns through or clogs, however, rod 26 maybe removed ,Walls and the damaged tuyere block lifted out of position,whereupon substitution oit a inea? front plate may be made.

It will be Seen that the opelrfaced construction of the body and theseparate formation of the front Wall greatly facilitates castingot theparts.

While l have herein described in some dietail a particular embodimentVLof niy invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art thatchanges in details of construw tion and arrageioent may be made Withoutdeparture from the spirit of my invention, Wit-hinvthe scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a tuyreblock comprising a body portionhaving in an integral structure top, rear, and end walls and arneseportion providing a front-bar, Vthe front surfaces of said top, rear andend lying in a plane, and the top Surface of Said front-bar extendingforwardly beyond Said plane at an abrupt angle thereto; and an apertnredfront plate shaped at its side and top margins of its rear tace to lieagainst the front surfaces of said side and end Walls of the body, andshaped at its bott-om edge to rest upon the top surface of said frontbar, whereby to cover the open front face ot the body and to beplaceable and removable from the front. 'i

2. A tuyre-block comprising two separable portions, the one portionconsisting of a body having an open front head and an open-bottomed baseof smaller perimeter than the heade said base having a front bar at itsbottom and having an integral yoke extending between the said bar andthe opposite Wall of the base, the open front ot' said head having itssurfaces lying in a. plane of generally aprghtdirection and `said frontbai' having i-ts upper surface lying in an abrupt angle to said planeand extending in front et said plane; and the other portion ot saidblock comprising an apertured front plate adapted and arranged tooverlie the open front of said head and having a lip at its bottoni torest upon the front bar and shaped Yto continue the base contour, saidplate having an ontwardly curved hook near its top and Said head havinga lug arranged to be engaged by said hook by a sw'V ing movement' of thefront plate from the ront of the structure.

3. The combination of a supporting structure arranged in generallyhorizontal position` and havin a generally vertical vopeningtherethrougi; and a tuyre block oonstructed to be seated in said openingnand comprising an Aopen trontbody portion and a removable front plate,said body portion providing a frontbar arranged to lie Within theaperture of the support below the top surface of the support and saidfront plate having a bottom lip extending Within said aperture of thesupport and engaging said front bar, said front plate and said bodyhaving near the top thereof respectively an outwardly curved hook and ahook-receptive lug, substantially as and for the purposes described.

FRANK E. FLEMING.

